Page 44 of Delta: Retribution

Trace crawled over her on his bed, and he smelled perfect. She lay on a pile of pillows, and his muscles loomed around her, caging her. His hands roamed her body, stopping at the snap of her jeans.

“The things I want to do to you.” Slowly, he undid it and made the zipper crawl down.

It took forever for the zipper to slide. Intentional torture. “I’m game. I swear.”

Trace’s teeth raked her stomach, and his hands pinned her in place. He bit her hip bone and tugged off her panties. “So confident.”

“Told you.”

“You’ve always been,” he said. His body found its place between her legs, broad shoulders holding her open.

“Maybe. Just for you.”

The warmth of his lips hovered over her clit. Strong fingers teased her folds. “This is just for me, Mar.”

“Yes.” The words came out breathless. Hell, she needed more than just a tease. “You own me.”

He wasn’t careful when he spread her for his kiss. The slash of his tongue sent shivers crawling to the corners of her body. The dance of his fingers across her aroused skin stole her mind. He kissed and sucked with such intensity that the room swirled away. Thoughts fell away. Rough hands and tongue pushed her toward a climax, then his fingers pushed inside her, pumping and stroking.

Marlena struggled to move her legs, to walk her heels up the bed or wrap her legs around his broad chest. But somehow, he had her pinned. For every struggle, he held her down, pushing her to orgasm under his tongue. She shifted, and he moved with her. Marlena’s fingers grabbed at the sheets, clenching them in her hand. Heat rushed through her body, her core tightening and her throat moaning. Everything about it was insane and delicious.

“Come for me, Mar.” His fingers and his mouth fucked her furiously.

She bucked, arching her back and clawing at the bed. Trace held her body still. Her orgasm spiraled her high to the heavens where fireworks and the stars collided. Mar gasped for breath as his weight rolled away. She heard the foil of a condom wrapper, but her body was too lax to even open her eyes—until he was back on top of her. Then her eyes opened and met his.

“I love you,” he growled, pushing his cock against her entrance. “And you’re the only thing that can save me.”

“Good.” Because she wanted to be his savior. His everything.

Thrusting deep into her, his eyes sank closed, and she bit his lip when he kissed her. That was their thing. Nothing sweet, just pure, driven emotion, hard and harsh. Her legs crawled around him, her arms gripping him. She embraced the flare of pain from her bandaged arm. He gritted his teeth, and sweat dampened his brow. They molded themselves to each other, their connection profound.

Marlena arched back, tearing her nails down his back, moaning and crying out as she came. Her muscles rippled around his shaft, and her mind went numb. Trace’s body rocked over her, the piston motion forcing her to a point of destruction that only he could handle.

He came, groaning as he thrust. “Goddamn, Marlena.”

Then he collapsed on her. His rasping breath burned in her ear, his weight pressing her into the blankets.

With his body covering her, Marlena’s mind cleared. Cleared the crap that’d blurred her past, all the belittling lies she’d been told most her life. But in that clarity was a realization, crystal clear in its obviousness. Her stomach plummeted, while anger bubbled in her veins. She swallowed. She’d been blind, until she realized at that moment that she could love and be loved. How about that for awhat-the-hellmoment?

“I needed that.” The whisper of his voice promised that she could tell him anything, that he would understand, because no matter how different their circumstances were, they both had a dark weight haunting them. Hers had been her damn father.

She nodded. “But you know what I need even more?”

His head lifted on her chest. “More?”

Brian had screwed her. He’d sold her and her secrets. That was the only way he had the money. The man couldn’t stay away from an opportunity to hurt her, especially if he could make big bucks in the process.Screw him. Just screw him all the way to hell. “I need payback.”

Faster than she expected, Trace rolled over, pulling her with him. “Say again.”

“Retribution.”

His eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Brian—”

“Your dad?”

She nodded, the anger transforming into cold calmness. “Brian took me home from the hospital in a new car. We didn’t go home to where I grew up. We went somewhere new. Nicer. He was so busy insulting me, pulling me down to the ground, that it didn’t click in my painkiller haze. I don’t know how he did it. I don’t know where he met—”

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